Holyoke Heritage State Park [MA]

Description

Holyoke Heritage State Park is located in Holyoke, Massachusetts, and preserves the area's unique industrial history. By the mid 19th century, Holyoke was home to 50 cotton mills and 4.5 miles of canals. Today, the park is home to a visitor center and children's museum.

The park offers exhibits and presentations in the visitor center, field trip programs, outreach programs, and guided tours. The website offers a brief history of Holyoke and visitors information.

Dothan Landmark Park [AL]

Description

The Dothan Landmark Park presents the history of southeastern Alabama. Site features include a living history farm, set in the 1890s; a one-room schoolhouse; a historic church; and a historic general store. Exhibits discuss agriculture and wildlife.

The park offers exhibits, living history interpreters, nature trails, a planetarium, and a picnic site.

East Linn Museum [OR]

Description

The East Linn Museum presents the history of the Sweet Home, Oregon area through period rooms and exhibits of vernacular items. Collection highlights include historical cameras, telephones, and firearms. The period covered extends from 1852 to present.

The museum offers period rooms and exhibits.

Nevada County Historical Society and Museums [CA]

Description

The Nevada County Historical Society seeks to preserve and share the history of Nevada County, California. To this end, the society operates the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum, North Star Mine Powerhouse and Pelton Wheel Museum, Firehouse Museum, and Searls Library. The railroad museum presents local transportation history. Collection highlights include seven historic railroad cars, dating from 1889 to circa 1940. The mining museum's collection highlights include a working Cornish pump; working stamp mill; and the largest Pelton wheel, a mechanism for supplying air to power the mines, ever made. The Firehouse Museum, housed in an 1861 structure, presents exhibits on the Maidu people, the Donner Party, Chinese-American daily life and religion between 1877 and 1938, and vernacular items dating from circa 1850 to present.

The society offers monthly speakers and both library and archive access. Research assistance is available for a fee. The railroad museum and firehouse museum offer exhibits. The mining museum offers self-guided tours, period dioramas, and exhibits. The website offers digital historical and genealogical databases.

David Davis Mansion [IL]

Description

David Davis (1815–1886) was born in Maryland and studied law in New England. In 1862 President Lincoln appointed Davis to the United States Supreme Court. In 1877 Davis resigned from the court after being elected to the United States Senate by the Illinois legislature and served as Senate president pro tempore from 1881 to 1883. Davis commissioned French-born architect Alfred Piquenard to design this late-Victorian style mansion, primarily as a residence for his wife, Sarah Davis. The three-story yellow brick home comprises 36 rooms. The large, tree-shaded lot includes an 1872 wood house, a barn and stable, privies, a foaling shed, carriage barn, and a flower and ornamental cutting garden. The circular drive to the Mansion remains as originally configured. The property was entered on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 and in 1975 was declared a National Historic Landmark.

The site offers tours, a short film, and educational and recreational events and programs.

Pond Spring: The General Joe Wheeler Home [AL]

Description

Once home to prehistoric Native Americans, Pond Spring is the post-Civil War home of General Joseph Wheeler, a Confederate major general, a U.S. congressman, and a Spanish-American War general. Following the Civil War, Wheeler became a national symbol for reunification and reconciliation. Wheeler's daughter, "Miss Annie Wheeler," served in three wars as a Red Cross nurse. The 50-acre site includes a dogtrot log house built around 1818, a circa-1830 Federal-style house, the 1880s Wheeler house, eight farm-related outbuildings, two family cemeteries, an African-American cemetery, a small Indian mound, a pond, a boxwood garden, and other garden areas.

The site offers tours by appointment.

Ute Indian Museum [CO]

Description

The Museum lies on the original 8.65-acre homestead owned by Chief Ouray and his wife, Chipeta. Migrating from the mountains in the summer to river valleys in the winter, the Utes used the abundant plants and animals of the Uncompahgre River valley for food, clothing, and shelter. Built in 1956 and expanded in 1998, the museum offers one of the most complete collections of the Ute people. The grounds include the Chief Ouray Memorial Park, Chipeta's Crypt, and a native plants garden. Recently renovated and expanded, the museum now includes the Montrose Visitor Information Center, gallery space, classrooms, and a museum store. The museum complex includes shady picnic areas, walking paths, and a memorial to the Spanish conquistadors who traveled through the area in 1776.

The museum offers exhibits, tours, and educational programs.

Dorsey Mansion [NM]

Description

Completed in 1880, the Dorsey Mansion is the Victorian mansion of Stephen W. Dorsey (1842-1916), Arkansas Senator turned New Mexico cattle baron. The mansion played a major role in numerous property disputes. After attempting to convert the home into a tubercular sanatorium, Dorsey simply left the state.

Tours are currently closed.

Living History Farms [IA]

Description

Living History Farms is composed of three working farms, the 1700 Ioway Indian Farm, the 1850 Pioneer Farm, and the 1900 Horse-Powered Farm, as well as an associated pioneer town and Indian village. In addition, Living History Farms has a new 8,000 foot visitor center, which provides exhibits and presentations.

Living History Farms offers guided tours, exhibits and presentations in the visitor center, field trip programs, school outreach programs, a summer day camp, and interpretive events and activities. The website offers visitor information, an events calendar, a history of the museum, and information regarding all programs offered by the museum.